What survey says is the key ingredient to making a Top Workplace in the Lehigh Valley?

Appreciated — that, in a word, is how people who work for the Lehigh Valley's top employers feel.

Sometimes, it's the boss who makes them feel that way, but not always. Other times, it's their co-workers.

"The people I work with are great," an employee of Forks Township pipe manufacturer Victaulic Co. said in an anonymous survey. "We work as a team and help each other without hesitation."

Or it may be their clients who make them feel appreciated.

"It gives you a good feeling to know that you helped someone and cared for their needs," said an employee of Fellowship Community, a nonprofit assisted-living facility in Whitehall Township.

Both Victaulic and Fellowship Community are among the top-ranked employers in The Morning Call's third annual Top Workplaces survey, performed in partnership with Philadelphia-based WorkplaceDynamics, an employee survey firm. Of 573 area workplaces invited, 54 participated in the study. More than 7,600 employees responded, either on paper or online.

The survey divided employers into three categories based on size, since smaller employers tend to score higher than larger ones. Employers could be private, public or nonprofit. The only requirement was that they employ at least 35 people in the greater Lehigh Valley area.

Of the 30 employers to earn the distinction of being a Top Workplace this year, 13 are first-timers. Of the 17 repeats, seven have made the list three years in a row.

What these diverse workplaces have in common, survey results suggest, is that their employees feel their contributions are put to good use and truly valued. As in previous years, in the survey's comment section and in subsequent interviews, employees didn't have all that much to say about money or other incentives and rewards (such as the free trips to Bora Bora and other exotic locales offered by Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp. in Bethlehem).

"It's not the perks," WorkplaceDynamics CEO Doug Claffey said. "Our research of employee feedback concludes the common thread is having a healthy organization."

Nationwide, WorkplaceDynamics partnered with more than 40 publications and surveyed more than 2 million employees last year. The employees were asked whether they agreed with 19 statements about their workplaces.

In the Lehigh Valley, the survey statement with the strongest correlation to a high ranking was: "I feel genuinely appreciated at this company." If employees tended to agree with that statement, they were likely to rate their workplace favorably in other areas, too, resulting in an overall high ranking for their workplace.

Conversely, the survey statements with the lowest correlation to a high ranking were: "My pay is fair for the work I do," and, "My benefits package is good compared to others in the industry."

While financial compensation may not be particularly important, corporate culture probably is, according to subsequent interviews with management.

At Victaulic, the No. 1 Top Workplace among large employers, CEO John F. Malloy credited the family that has owned the company for 85 years. "The mission of Victaulic is to balance the needs of not only the shareholders but also employees," he said.

And at Fellowship Community, a nonprofit founded by a church, Chief Financial Officer Lisa Hazler cited the influence of Christian values. "You know people are praying for you," she said.

Other survey statements with high correlation to a high ranking were: "I believe this company is going in the right direction," "My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful," and "I have confidence in the leader of this company."

In anonymous survey after survey, the employees of Top Workplaces also spoke about what they found meaningful about their work.

"I have a meaningful position helping others feel valued," said an employee of Lehigh Carbon Community College. Said another: "I get to work with students to help them recognize and achieve their goals."

"I am part of a wonderful program that helps children and families," said an employee of the nonprofit Community Services for Children in Allentown.

Employees praised their employer's direction and leadership, too. "Most importantly," said an employee of DLP Realty in Bethlehem, "we have an amazing leader who bends over backward to teach us everything he knows."